Kamall: listen carefully, you'll hear the sound of a can being kicked further down the road

Responding to the news that negotiations have agreed on measures that will allow the opening of negotiations for another Greek bailout, European Conservatives and Reformists Group leader Syed Kamall MEP said:

“If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of that can being kicked a little further down the road.

“The Greek parliament must now vote on a package that was far tougher than the one rejected by the Greek people a week ago. The Greek people will be scratching their heads this morning asking why they bothered with the antics of the last few weeks.

“Even if the Greek parliament jumps through all of the hoops, the best it can hope for is another expensive sticking plaster. Countries that themselves are facing austerity are rightly asking how much longer they will have to foot the bill.

“At the core of this crisis is a complete lack of honesty from many European leaders. Tsipras has been telling his people that they can end austerity whilst staying in the euro. Merkel will not tell her taxpayers that in a currency union with such disparate economies they are going to have to pay, not just bailouts, but fiscal transfers.

“The Eurozone and national democracy have now become disparate concepts. Perhaps that was what its founders wanted, but the price being paid is extremely high. “